When you think about the church, do you think of the building or the people first? Most of us think about the building. We picture important events that happened there. These events bring emotions of joy and, sometimes, sorrow. Such memories can comfort us. Sometimes, though, memories cloud our vision. They may even be overvalued, making us equate the building with the church.
The truth is that the church is a body of believers who have experienced the transformation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not the building. It is the group of Christians that gathers to worship, be discipled, experience fellowship, and do ministry together. (Acts 2:42-47)
May we never place more importance on the building to the detriment of the body and, most importantly, the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ. May we be willing to share the building God has given us to steward by allowing other Bible-believing congregations to use it for their gatherings. May we remember we don’t own the building; God does. Our Sunday School class or small group does not own the classroom where we are meeting. We do not own the pew or seat where we sit each Sunday.
May we see ourselves as managers for a time, recognizing that God is the owner. This means if we are asked to move to a different room for Bible Study, that is ok. If someone sits in the spot, we normally sit in that is ok. If we need to move to a different location to worship, that is ok. If we allow other Bible-believing congregations to use our facility, that means the kingdom will be expanded. The truth is, we do not own any of these things God does.
So let us remember that while the church is a body of believers, not a building, we must still recognize that there are feelings tied to special events that happened within the edifice. The reality is, though, we cannot allow those emotions to become more important than God’s usage of His facility.